


she's in parties

by girlsonthetv



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Clubbing, F/F, Goths, Modern AU, band au, but like they're not famous, rated Teen for mentions of Alcohol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:55:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24243166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlsonthetv/pseuds/girlsonthetv
Summary: Dorothea is dragged to a club called Studio 666 by a pining Ferdinand. She fully expects the night to be terrible, and then she meets a beautiful girl and her friends and all is forgiven.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg, Ferdinand von Aegir & Dorothea Arnault, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 2
Kudos: 63





	she's in parties

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: i have never been to a club ever.

The club they were headed to was called Studio 666, and one look at its website let one know who the clientele was. Black hair, red eyeshadow and sullen expressions - definitely not Ferdinand and Dorothea, whose typical evening attire was more tailored towards going to see a play at the local theater more than being in the middle of a mosh pit. In a concession to the strange events happening around her, Dorothea had chosen a black velvet dress she’d bought for a Halloween costume eons ago. Ferdinand had paired khaki pants with a band shirt Dorothea didn’t even know he owned.

As she adjusted one of her earrings in the rearview mirror, Dorothea smirked and said, “Ferdie, it still doesn’t feel right to see you wearing a t-shirt.” 

Ferdinand didn’t respond, but tugged absently at his collar as he pulled into a parking space. Ferdinand’s car - a cherry red Range Rover, a sixteenth birthday gift from his father - stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the myriad beat-up vehicles that had likely been driven off the lot when Ferdinand’s father was young and handsome. He double-checked that he’d locked the doors before striding over to stand in line like he’d been to this place a million times. Dorothea slinked over to join him with significantly less pique. 

Minutes passed. The line moved slowly enough for the people in it to be having conversations; mostly about what a shitty week they’d had and how eager they were to let loose, but a few were talking about the band performing that night. They called themselves The Black Eagles, and they had only a short mixtape in their discography. No one in the line had heard of them before. They were also fronted by a woman, which caused a stir among the men. Dorothea rolled her eyes and willed the line to move faster.

Once they were inside, Dorothea rounded on Ferdinand. “Alright, Ferdie, spill. Who’s the lucky guy?” 

It was dark in the club, naturally, but Dorothea could still see Ferdinand’s flushed cheeks. “The show will start in a few minutes. You will see him then - ah!” 

The Black Eagles had come on stage, setting up and tuning their instruments. They were four people - two boys and two girls. “Is that him?” Dorothea pointed to the drummer, a blue-haired boy with spiked bracelets and a wide, dimpled smile that beamed all the way across the room. “He’s cute enough. A little short, though.” 

“Oh, that is Caspar. He is sweet, but he is not who I came to see.” Ferdinand pointed to the other man on stage, who was tuning a bass guitar and resembled the archetypal patron of such establishments as the one they were visiting. Dorothea’s jaw hit the grimy floor.

“Ferdie, he looks like a zombie.”

“Not everything is about looks, Dorothea.” Ferdinand frowned, and Dorothea felt like she had kicked a puppy. “He’s very talented at his instrument.”

Dorothea patted Ferdinand’s elbow. “I’m sure he is. If you know this band so well, who is _she?_ ” Dorothea pointed to the girl standing front and center, adjusting a mic stand. Her hair was so blonde it was nearly white, and as she flicked it away from her face it shimmered like starlight beneath the stage lights. She radiated an aura of impeccable dark elegance, the kind that every other girl in Studio 666 was trying and failing to emulate. “She’s gorgeous.” 

“That is Edelgard. She and Hubert have known each other since they were very young, and they started the band together.” Ferdinand said helpfully. “The lead guitarist is Petra, who is the youngest member.” 

“Edelgard.” Dorothea was so preoccupied murmuring the name to herself, testing the feel of it in her mouth, that she forgot entirely to grill Ferdinand on how he knew that information. 

Edelgard cleared her throat; immediately the susurrus of conversation in the room fell silent. Dorothea was nothing short of awestruck. Ferdinand noticed her in the corner of his vision, mouth slightly open, but said nothing, which was why Dorothea counted him as a friend. 

“Ladies, gentlemen, and esteemed guests of Studio 666, we are The Black Eagles.” Edelgard nodded to the drummer - Caspar - who launched into the beginning of their first song with no further ado. Ferdinand palmed her a pair of earplugs, which she stuck in. The music was barely muffled, but she appreciated them nonetheless. Halfway through their first song, Edelgard kicked the mic stand over, and Dorothea couldn’t help but wonder why she’d bothered to adjust it in the first place. 

Dorothea had never listened to music that claimed to be “goth” before, unless the soundtrack to The Phantom of the Opera counted. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it wasn’t to be swept up in the tide of the crowd’s excitement; to feel as if she were in an orchestra that Edelgard and her bandmates were conducting. 

For Edelgard was a good singer, there was no denying that, but beyond her vocal skill was her skill as a performer. From the beginning of the first song to the end of the eighth, Edelgard and the other Black Eagles wove a spell unlike anything else Dorothea had witnessed. If Edelgard was beautiful before, while setting up, she looked _radiant_ here, in her element.

Ferdinand already knew all the lyrics, and Dorothea harmonized with him almost instinctively. The two moved closer to the stage almost without meaning to, gradually in between songs. By the last number that shook the stage with its intensity, they stood directly below it, staring up at the objects of their affection. 

In the middle of the second chorus, Edelgard caught sight of Dorothea and smiled. It was like a shooting star, so brief and dazzling was that smile, and Dorothea tucked it into her pocket, to take out and cheer her when the coming week grew to be too much to bear. She’d entered Studio 666 expecting the night to be unbearable; now she didn’t want it to ever end. 

When the set ended and The Black Eagles stood up to bow, Dorothea shrieked her admiration along with everyone else, her singer’s throat be damned. “If you liked our show, buy a shirt or something! It helps a lot!” Caspar yelled to a crowd that was already beginning to break up. His enthusiasm didn’t flag a bit, however, as he began to take apart his drum set. Edelgard fixed the mic stand back to how it was, then hopped off the stage, her bassist following her like a shadow. 

Ferdinand tugged on Dorothea’s arm, jerking her rudely back to reality. “Let’s go to the merchandise table.”

“Yes, let’s; I want to get a shirt. I also wouldn’t mind meeting your new boy toy.” Dorothea teased as they elbowed their way back through the crowd. Edelgard and the bassist were in the middle of selling a few shirts to a girl in a short purple dress and an individual of indeterminate gender with long greenish hair. Dorothea had expected the line to be much longer, but she wasn’t about to complain. After the two had left, she pulled some cash out of her purse. “Do you have a small?” 

The bandmates looked around at the piles of t-shirts they hadn’t sold. “I think so, yes.” Edelgard said, counting Dorothea’s money. The bassist, on the other hand, hadn’t even looked at her; him and Ferdinand only had eyes for each other. 

“Dandy boy.” A smile slid across his face like a snake, and he didn’t look nearly as corpse-like. “You came.” 

“Hubert.” Ferdinand breathed. “I enjoyed your show very much.”

“Hm. I’m glad.” 

Of course his name was Hubert. He looked every inch a Hubert. Dorothea smiled her prettiest, most charming smile at Edelgard as she accepted her new t-shirt with the band logo on it. “Thank you so much.” 

She hoped it wasn’t just her wistful imagination coloring Edelgard’s cheeks red. “You’re welcome. Did you like our performance?” 

“I did! Very much. You’re an incredible singer.” Dorothea twirled her hair around her finger. “Are you in school around here, or… “ 

“Yes. All of us attend Garreg Mach - that’s how myself and Hubert met Caspar and Petra.” Edelgard nodded to the two other band members currently pushing their way through the crowd to meet them. Hubert stood up unceremoniously and offered Ferdinand his hand. 

“You guys must be hard workers, doing performances and making music while going to school. I go to Garreg Mach, too - so does Ferdie.” Dorothea gestured to the empty space where her companion had been. 

Edelgard’s expression remained neutral. “Yes, I know Ferdinand. We both study political science, and he fancies himself a rival of mine.” The smallest smile snuck onto her face, and Dorothea felt like a scientist catching a glimpse of a rare butterfly. 

Dorothea whistled. “I love a confident woman.” She leaned in confidentially. “What do you say we go up to the bar and have - “

“Hey! Edelgard!” 

Caspar and Petra had arrived, bursting Dorothea’s bubble with incredible ease. “Awesome show! We fuckin’ killed it!” Caspar spun around, seeking agreement from someone. Dorothea nodded politely; Edelgard pretended to count cash. 

“Yes! Your singing was very good, Edelgard.” Petra’s accent was pronounced, but not unintelligible. “Who is this?”

“This is Dorothea,” Edelgard explained as Caspar turned in confusion, finally noticing she was there. “She goes to Garreg Mach as well. She was telling me how much she liked our performance.” 

“Yes! It was fantastic. I bought a shirt.” Dorothea held it up, and nearly dropped it when Caspar grabbed her hand in an enthusiastic handshake. 

“That’s awesome! Buying merch is a great way to help your local scene.” He turned back to his bandmates. “You guys want pizza? Where’s Hubert?”

“Hubert is having a drink with Ferdinand von Aegir.” Edelgard tucked away the bills carefully in a little cash box. “He doesn’t like pizza, anyway. Feel free to head up the street; I’ll stay here and pack up all of these.” T-shirts surrounded Edelgard like bodies in a catacomb, and her gestures towards them were filled with resignation at her task. 

Caspar snorted. “Does Hubert like anything? Whatever. Petra, let’s go get some food. I’m starving!”

“It was good to meet you, Dorothea.” Petra briefly lowered her head in a little half-bow, then followed Caspar out the door. 

“It was good to meet you too.”

There was a prolonged pause as the door swung shut. “Do you want help with those?” 

“... I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Edelgard murmured. 

“You’re not asking me. I’m offering.” Dorothea sat down in the chair beside Edelgard that had previously been occupied by Hubert, and the two got to work folding shirts and putting them back in the boxes. A comfortable silence made itself at home between them, until Edelgard spoke up. 

“You said you went to Garreg Mach as well; what do you study?”

“I study vocal music performance. I’m planning on getting a teaching certificate, too, for something a little more stable.” 

Edelgard nodded. “That’s a smart move. None of us - The Black Eagles - are planning on doing this long-term. It just isn’t realistic, for any of us.” Perhaps it was simply the lighting of the bar, but Edelgard looked for a moment profoundly, deeply sad. 

“Well, you never know. Somebody could discover you in the crowd of one of these shows.” Dorothea gave Edelgard a friendly nudge. “You guys could get super famous. You’re all really talented.” 

Edelgard shook her head, made a vague protesting sound, but she was smiling again, and that was enough for now. “Say, Dorothea… “ She began slowly. “Since you’re doing classical training… would you mind dropping by our practices every once in a while? I won’t pretend I couldn’t use some pointers.” 

Dorothea couldn’t hold back her gasp. “I would love that! Here, let me give you my number. You can text me the time and the place later, but right now we ought to finish this. The pizza is probably getting cold.” 

“Oh, I completely forgot about them. Here.” Edelgard passed Dorothea her phone across the table, clad in an unadorned red case. 

“You guys should get phone cases made.” Dorothea said as she punched in her number and added several heart emojis to her name in Edelgard’s contact list. “I saw so many people in that crowd without a case at all.” Edelgard let out a soft huff of a laugh. 

Once they finished folding and putting away shirts, Edelgard fired off a text message to Hubert, letting him know where the rest of the group was in case he and Ferdinand felt like joining them. “Between you and me, I think those two are a bit preoccupied with each other.” Dorothea declared, slipping her hand in Edelgard’s. A second passed, then two - then Edelgard squeezed her hand. Dorothea’s heart sang. 

They left the club and a gust of wind brought goosebumps to the surface of Dorothea’s arms. She shivered. “Got cold all of a sudden, huh?”

Edelgard nodded, and the next thing Dorothea knew there was a denim jacket covered in patches being draped over her shoulders. Edelgard was looking straight ahead, not acknowledging her gesture at all, so Dorothea didn’t either; she only snuggled deeper into the jacket as she walked, a move she could blame on the chill. 

The pizza was pizza, neither inedible nor too fancy, and Dorothea had a slice or two when she wasn’t talking to Edelgard about school, or music, or romance. “I’ve never dated anyone. I was too busy in high school, and I’m too busy now. Once I’ve graduated, maybe. But it just isn’t a priority for me. These two both have significant others they’d be happy to tell you about.” Edelgard gestured towards Caspar and Petra, who grinned - Caspar unabashed, Petra a little sheepish. 

“I get that. For me, it’s a higher priority right now, because once we graduate and start advancing in our careers and all that good stuff, we’ll likely have less time to meet people.” Dorothea said, twirling a bit of hair around her finger. 

Edelgard smiled. “I understand that as well. I suppose if I do meet someone who I feel that mythical spark with, then I’ll decide what to do then.”

Dorothea leaned in a little closer. “That sounds like a good plan.” 

Edelgard nodded, and as Caspar and Petra attempted to communicate with each other nonverbally on whether or not they should excuse themselves, Ferdinand and Hubert came in. 

“Lovely evening.” Hubert said as he sat down on Edelgard’s other side. Ferdinand sat down beside Petra, looking everywhere but at Hubert. Dorothea eyed him - no new hickies that she could see. Then again, she supposed it was none of her business. 

The rest of the evening passed without incident, the group of new friends continuing to chat about everything and nothing even long after the pizza was gone. Edelgard’s hand searched for Dorothea’s beneath the table, and as they interlocked pinkies Dorothea had to have Petra repeat her question about good places to swim when the weather got colder. 

Once they all finally had to leave, Hubert and Edelgard insisted on escorting Ferdinand and Dorothea back to their car. After a brief but embarrassing minute of Ferdinand being cagey about his inherited wealth, they were inside the car, Ferdinand turning the key and not looking at Hubert. Dorothea hung out the window, waving at Edelgard. “Call me soon, yeah?” She called, making the outdated call-me sign with her hand. 

Edelgard nodded, and just before Ferdinand began to pull out of their parking spot, Edelgard ran up and kissed Dorothea on the cheek. Dorothea intended to make some kind of cute remark, but all that came out of her mouth was a kind of squeaking sound as Ferdinand gently tugged her back inside the vehicle. Blushing furiously, she kept waving at Edelgard until she was out of sight. Sighing happily, she slumped down in her seat. 

“So did you have fun?” Ferdinand asked.

**Author's Note:**

> whew! being mentally ill has been a full-time job these past few weeks, but i somehow managed to get this finished to my satisfaction. edelthea nation i hope this pleases you. please leave a comment if it did uwu


End file.
